Systems and methods for connecting internet service providers to a satellite communications network

Abstract

A community gateway for a satellite communication system can include a network switch configured to route data packets received from an Internet Service Provider (ISP); and a plurality of community gateway (CGW) antennas. The satellite communication system includes terrestrial gateway terminals in communication with the Internet. Each CGW antenna is configured to communicate with the satellites via a CGW-SAT link, and each CGW antenna includes a network interface processor configured to route data packets between the network switch and the CGW antenna. The network interface processor is configured to report to the network switch a connection status of a connection between the CGW antenna and a node of the satellite communication system. The network switch is configured to route the data packets to the CGW antennas for transmission through the satellite communication system based on the reported connection status of the CGW antennas.

1 . A community gateway for a satellite communication system, wherein the satellite communication system includes a plurality of terrestrial gateway terminals and a plurality of satellites, wherein the terrestrial gateway terminals are in communication with the Internet, and wherein each of the satellites includes a satellite (SAT) gateway-wavelength antenna, the community gateway comprising:
 a network switch configured to route data packets received from an Internet Service Provider (ISP); and   a plurality of community gateway (CGW) antennas, wherein each CGW antenna is configured to communicate with the SAT gateway-wavelength antenna via a CGW-SAT link, wherein each CGW antenna includes a network interface processor configured to route data packets between the network switch and the CGW antenna, and wherein:
 the network interface processor includes a network interface processor memory storing instructions executable to cause the network interface processor to perform network interface steps including reporting to the network switch a connection status of a connection between the CGW antenna and a node of the satellite communication system, and 
 the network switch includes a network switch memory storing instructions executable to cause the network switch to perform network switch steps including routing the data packets to the CGW antennas for transmission through the satellite communication system based on the reported connection status of the CGW antennas. 
   
     
     
         2 . The community gateway according to  claim 1 , wherein the satellite communication system includes a plurality of Points of Presence (PoPs) on the Internet connected to the terrestrial gateway terminals, and wherein the connection is between the CGW antenna and one of the PoPs. 
     
     
         3 . The community gateway according to  claim 2 , wherein each of the satellites includes one or more laser communication terminals (LCTs), wherein the satellites are configured to establish SAT-SAT links using the one or more LCTs to form a satellite mesh topology within the satellite communication system, and wherein the connection between the CGW antenna and the one of the PoPs is established through the satellite mesh topology. 
     
     
         4 . The community gateway according to  claim 1 , wherein the network interface steps further include:
 executing a path failure detection protocol supported by the network switch; and   reporting the connection status to the network switch using the path failure detection protocol.   
     
     
         5 . The community gateway according to  claim 4 , wherein the network switch steps further include executing a plurality of instances of the path failure detection protocol, wherein for each instance, the instance and the path failure detection protocol executing at the network interface processor of a corresponding one of the plurality of CGW antennas are peers in the path failure detection protocol. 
     
     
         6 . The community gateway according to  claim 5 , wherein the path failure detection protocol defines session states and includes path failure detection protocol packets sent by each of the peers to the other of the peers, and wherein the path failure detection protocol packets include an indicator for a current session state as observed by the sending peer. 
     
     
         7 . The community gateway according to  claim 6 , wherein the network interface steps further include:
 initiating one or more network communication pathways to the node of the satellite communication system; and   receiving a response from the node including an indication that the one or more network communication pathways are successfully established, wherein the step of reporting the connection status includes reporting a positive connection status in response to the indication.   
     
     
         8 . The community gateway according to  claim 7 , wherein the step of initiating the one or more network communication pathways includes initiating one or more tunnels of a virtual private network (VPN) implemented over the satellite communication system. 
     
     
         9 . The community gateway according to  claim 7 , wherein the step of initiating the one or more network communication pathways is performed at a first time in response to topology schedule data indicating that the corresponding CGW antenna is scheduled to communicate user data over a new CGW-SAT link beginning at a second time. 
     
     
         10 . The community gateway according to  claim 7 , wherein the step of reporting the positive connection status includes:
 making, by an executive module of the network interface processor in response to the step of receiving the response from the node, an enablement call to the path failure detection protocol executing at the network interface processor; and   in response to the enablement call, sending the path failure detection protocol packets from the path failure detection protocol executing at the network interface processor to the path failure detection protocol executing at the network switch, wherein the session state reported in one or more of the path failure detection protocol packets serves as the report of the positive connection status.   
     
     
         11 . The community gateway according to  claim 10 , wherein the step of reporting the positive connection status further includes utilizing a polling functionality of the path failure detection protocol in the one or more path failure detection protocol packets. 
     
     
         12 . The community gateway according to  claim 7 , wherein the network interface steps further include, subsequent to reporting the positive connection status:
 receiving return data packets routed from the node of the satellite communication system and addressed to an address associated with the ISP; and   forwarding the return data packets to the ISP through the network switch.   
     
     
         13 . The community gateway according to  claim 7 , wherein the network interface steps further include closing the one or more network communication pathways to the node of the satellite communication system at a third time in response to topology schedule data indicating that the corresponding CGW antenna is scheduled to break a current CGW-SAT link at a fourth time. 
     
     
         14 . The community gateway according to  claim 13 , wherein the network interface steps further include, in association with the step of closing the one or more network communication pathways, reporting the connection status as negative to the network switch, and wherein the network switch step of routing the data packets to the CGW antennas for transmission through the satellite communication system includes, in response to the report of the negative connection status, ceasing to route the data packets received from the ISP through the network interface processor. 
     
     
         15 . The community gateway according to  claim 14 , wherein the step of reporting the negative connection status includes:
 making, by an executive module of the network interface processor in association with the step of closing the one or more network communication pathways, a disablement call to the path failure detection protocol executing at the network interface processor; and   in response to the disablement call, sending the path failure detection protocol packets from the path failure detection protocol executing at the network interface processor to the path failure detection protocol executing at the network switch, wherein the session state reported in one or more of the path failure detection protocol packets serves as the report of the negative connection status.   
     
     
         16 . The community gateway according to  claim 15 , wherein the step of reporting the negative connection status further includes utilizing a polling functionality of the path failure detection protocol in the one or more path failure detection protocol packets. 
     
     
         17 . The community gateway according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the satellites further includes a satellite (SAT) phased array antenna, and wherein the community gateway further comprises a backbone user terminal (BUT) configured to communicate with the SAT phased array antenna via a BUT-SAT link. 
     
     
         18 . The community gateway according to  claim 17 , wherein the backbone user terminal is further configured to:
 in association with initialization of the community gateway, perform a sky search to acquire the BUT-SAT link; and   obtain, via the BUT-SAT link, topology schedule data specifying the CGW-SAT links to be made by the CGW antennas for a plurality of future time slots.   
     
     
         19 . The community gateway according to  claim 18 , wherein the satellite communication system further includes a satellite operations (SatOps) services platform, and wherein the backbone user terminal is further configured to maintain an operational connection to the SatOps services platform after the initialization. 
     
     
         20 . The community gateway according to  claim 1 , further comprising a hot spare CGW antenna in addition to the plurality of CGW antennas and a control processor configured to enable configuration, monitoring, and control of the plurality of CGW antennas and the hot spare CGW antenna, wherein the control processor includes a control processor memory storing instructions that are executable to cause the control processor to perform steps including:
 detecting that a performance of any one of the plurality of CGW antennas has dropped below an acceptable level; and   switching the CGW-SAT links and network routing responsibilities of the any one of the plurality of CGW antennas to the hot spare CGW antenna in response to the detection.   
     
     
         21 - 40 . (canceled)